Flatiron

Résumé du livre

Flatiron, one of Philadelphia's most industrial neighborhoods, was settled by the Delaware River in the 1830s by English sea merchants, and for a time was one of the most productive enclaves in the nation. The residents of Flatiron built the railroads and the factories and fisheries and textile mills. Before long, the factory owners were building rows upon rows of red brick houses for their workers. Each two-story home was connected and stood 14-feet wide, with no one getting more or less. A Catholic section, residents called the homes"Father, Son and Holy Ghost houses"for their three-room makeup. Flatiron was a world within a world that prospered with good jobs, unions that protected workers and wages that allowed a father to raise his family and still have enough left over to visit the corner taproom on Friday nights and Saturday afternoons, playing the horses and numbers when times were good. In Flatiron most people had nicknames. It was a way for people to differentiate the dozens of baptized Josephs, Marys, Johns and James. It also provided a unique identity for the person, giving a quick glimpse-or warning in some cases-into their personality. In this collection of stories, Gerard Shields gives us a glimpse into the colorful lives of some of the remarkable residents of Flatiron.